A more just world

I'm a mere two weeks from our baby boy's due date.
I get lots of stares.
Lots of: is it soon?
Kids I work with want to know if
1. I'm having twins and
2. When I'm going on maternity leave because I'm so big.

These comments just make me laugh.
While being this big is not comfortable
I'm relishing the movement of the baby
How close he is to me, closer than he will ever be,
for this little while longer.

And the sweet things those same kids will say to me:
They'll whisper their name to my belly.
They tell me they want to see him.
They give me sweet tummy rubs.

While working late in pregnancy is not easy,
Those moments of tenderness with kids
from whom it may not be expected
reminds me how it important it is
to protect and work for justice
for those who have seen little in their young lives.

And maybe a tiny seed of that passion
will plant itself in our baby boy's unborn life
while he is still this close to my heart.
And he, too, will be one who longs to see a more just world.